I had always wondered what the north eastern coastal town of Batti was like. As kids, we had grown up hearing stories about the singing fish this town was renowned for. So when the sign heralding us into the city read, ‘Welcome to the City of Singing Fish’, my hopes of finally hearing them rose. 
However, not one current resident we stopped to talk to seemed to have an inkling of what we were on about. It appears the singing fish have long since disappeared and people gave us strange looks when we asked where was the best place to listen to the fish!
The phrase, ‘It is the journey not the destination that matters’, is very true of Batti. There isn’t much to do here in the way of activities once you do get here, but I loved the trip up the east coast and through the Eastern Province of Sri Lanka.
The population density around these parts is low and now that the war is over the land on either side of the road is once again being cultivated with paddy and a sea of green is a welcome sight in the midst of the harshness of this arid land.
It became obvious to me that most people only spoke Tamil around these parts and we were grateful our guide Naufer was multilingual. We barely pass another car on the road and the only times we get held up is when we encounter a water buffalo crossing!
People are also quite religious here and there is a disproportionate amount of Hindu temples, mosques and churches in comparison to the population. It is also interesting to note that unlike in the South of the country there isn’t a single Buddhist temple in sight!
The Muslim community in these parts are conservatively dressed and many of the women are often fully covered. 
There was a Hindu ceremony in progress as we passed this temple and the kids came out to the fence to greet me.
There is a Methodist Church at every corner and occasionally the much larger Catholic churches can also be found. What struck me was that they were all brightly painted in various colours unlike their more ‘sober’ counterparts in Colombo. 
The beach at Batti was also full of life and I enjoyed watching the fisherman help each other push their boats out to sea. These were not deep sea fisherman but rather going that night for the “Catch of the Day”! They sang as they pushed each others boats out to sea and I loved the camaraderie between them.
As I stood watching the fishermen, 3 local youth approach me rather diffidently. I smile and they feel a little reassured and strike up a conversation. Their 
Sinhalese skills are minimal but their English skills are non existent so we make do with Sinhalese. They look about 14 to me but they are 18 and work locally as masons. They want to be friends and ask for my number. I give them my “I don’t think so” smile but agree to have my picture taken on one of their phones. They smile back happily and walk away, glad to have made the acquaintance of the one ‘foreigner’, on the beach!
The beach is also the family hang out place around here. Kids fly kites and families sit around on blankets in their Sunday best! 
We also make the drive to Passekudah, a name familiar to me growing up but a place I had never visited previously. 
The area is dominated by talipot palm 
trees. The palm leaf serves as the local fencing material and the trees are used to make the local toddy.
I was a bit disappointed by the beach when I got there. It was crowded and rather dirty and not nearly as nice as the beach at Batti. The women bath fully clothed here and even my shorts and T shirt seems a bit immodest! I guess it was good I left my cossie at home :)! Pieces of rigifoam serve as floaties for this local lady!
Unlike in South East Asia where the motor bike is used to transport all sorts of goods, here in this eastern coastal town, the bicycle seems to be the preferred mode of transportation. 
Most people cook with firewood and vendors transport everything from firewood to fruit on the common push bike.
And that is my experience of Batti. The place we have checked into is very basic, even by my standards! Unfortunately, there is not much here in the way of traveller accommodation but hopefully things will improve as more people visit the area.
One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.” - Henry Miller
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